A Tennessee cop is "idolized"

Samurai warriors were not only expected to develop a complete mastery of their weapons and fighting skills, they also had to develop an expertise in a peaceful pursuit, because the Samurai believed that for the warrior to prepare himself for battle, he needed to achieve balance. The Samurai might paint, practice artistic calligraphy, or write poetry. Officer Brian Walker of the Sevierville Police Department in Tennessee is a modern day Samurai following this tradition. Officer Brian Walker has chosen the peaceful pursuit of music as his alternate path.

If you’ve never watched "American Idol" before, this might be the season to start. On the show airing the night of January 14th, Officer Walker stepped in front of the judges in Atlanta — beginning tomorrow night (Tuesday, February 9th), Officer Walker will compete in “Hollywood Week” — and proved that this cop can sing! He can really sing!

Officer Walker smiled and acknowledged, “Yes sir, I sure am.” Randy then asked what he would be singing.

“Super Star,” Walker said. The heart of a singer is contained in the chest with the noble heart of this modern blue knight.

Randy Jackson could not contain his excitement, seeming to know that they had discovered the proverbial diamond in the rough said, “The thing I love most about you, is being a police officer you look nothing like you sound. I love the fake out. The singing police officer is hot! He can sing, man!”

It is very probable that Officer Brian Walker will be burning some vacation time at the 51-person Sevierville Police Department, because the judges unanimously agreed that Brian should move on to the competition in Hollywood. As Officer Walker exited the audition hall with his golden ticket signifying he had passed on to the next round, host, Ryan Seacrest declared, “I have never seen a policeman so excited to get a ticket.”

Brian later explained he grew up with Gospel music, but could remember the moment he knew that he loved singing. He told a story about singing with an a cappella group in High School. He was on stage signing with this group and was about to step forward and sing his solo. He could see that the people in the audience were really excited and getting into the music. They were literally sitting on the edge of their seats as they watched their friends singing. His solo was a mellow section of the song and as he began to sing he saw the crowd immediately take on the mellow mood of the music and he was moved by the fact that he could affect people with music.

Brian did not predict that he would win the competition as some competitors boldly do, but he did say, “I feel I can connect with a wide audience.”

It was clear that he definitely connected with the judges. After Brian’s performance, Judge Kara Dioguardi looked genuinely moved by his voice and proclaimed, “This is what I love about this job — that was great!”

The career police officer says he has received a lot of encouragement to chase his dreams. Because of that encouragement he said, “I finally decided to chase that dream and take the opportunity to go out and give back...”

Popular music is not the usual topic of the articles you’ll find on PoliceOne. Anyone who heard the performance of Officer Walker, however, would have to agree that although it is a unique venue, Officer Brian Walker represented the profession well and will continue to do so. As Idol moves to Hollywood tomorrow night and through the episodes next week, you may want to set your DVRs on record and watch Officer Brian Walker perform. If you are so inclined you can call in and vote for him — you can be sure that millions of civilians will.

His song choice of “Super Star” for his audition could prove to be ironic. A man of Officer Brian Walker’s talent, who currently wears a star, quite possibly may become one.

About the author

Lt. Dan Marcou retired as a highly decorated police lieutenant and SWAT Commander with 33 years of full time law enforcement experience. He is a nationally recognized police trainer in many police disciplines and is a Master Trainer in the State of Wisconsin. He has authored three novels The Calling: The Making of a Veteran Cop , S.W.A.T. Blue Knights in Black Armor, and Nobody's Heroes are all available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Visit his website and contact Dan Marcou